1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to desk accessories commonly known as vertical sorters. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vertical sorter system comprised of individual modules that may be locked to one another in a variety of orientations.
2. Description of Relates Art
There are numerous desk accessories that are used to hold and/or sort letters, memos, invoices, etc. A vertical sorter is the type of desk accessory that typically has a base and a plurality of spaced vertical walls that extend upward from the base so as to define a plurality of sorting spaces therebetween.
Two early recognized problems in vertical sorters was the need to vary the number and size of the sorting areas defined by the vertical walls. One solution is to provide the user with the ability to add or remove vertical walls on a base of a fixed size. Such removable walls are typically fastened to the base with a channel sliding means of some kind so that the user can adjust the spaces defined by the vertical walls.
While a vertical sorter having removable and/or slidably adjustable walls is an improvement over the fixed wall type, the overall size of such vertical sorters is detrimentally limited to the size of the base.
Various modular vertical sorter systems have been developed to overcome the size constraints of the fixed bases. Most systems are cosmetically undesirable because they operate with external slots and tabs that are visible even after the modules have been joined.
One prior art vertical sorter system is comprised of modules that include a rectangular base, a vertical dividing wall extending upward from one long side of the base, and an L-shaped projection extending from the other long side of the base. The modules may be locked back-to-front with one another by placing the wall-side (back) of one module's base over the L-shaped projection (front) of another base. The modules could be locked front-to-front with one another by abutting the L-shaped projections of two modules against one another and by placing a locking member having a U-shaped cross-section and being of equal width to the base over the two L-shaped projections, effectively locking the two bases to one another.
While the method of connecting the modules of such a modular vertical sorter to one another are not visible and the user can vary the size of the vertical sorter system, there is considerable need for an improved modular sorter system. For example, it is desirable to do away with the extraneous, easily-broken or misplaced U-shaped locking member that must be used to lock the prior art modules together in a front-to-front orientation. Moreover, the above prior art modules can only be so joined together in such a way that the bases of the modules are aligned with one another. Hence, the prior art modules cannot be joined to one another with their bases staggered, a configuration that is desirable in many instances.